Armstrong to help 'clean up' cycling ... but won't talk to U.S. doping agency

Lance Armstrong's lawyers say the cyclist will talk more about drug use in the sport, just likely not to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that led the effort to strip him of his Tour de France titles.

In a testy exchange of letters and statements revealing the gulf between the two sides, USADA urged Armstrong to testify under oath to help 'clean up cycling.'

Armstrong's attorneys responded that the cyclist would rather take his information where it could do more good - namely to cycling's governing body and World Anti-Doping Agency officials.

USADA's response to that: 'The time for excuses is over.'

Legal battles: Armstrong has been sued by a Dallas-based SCA Promotions to recover more than $12million in bonuses and by The Sunday Times in London to recover a libel judgment that Armstrong won

The letters underscore the continuing
feud between Armstrong and USADA CEO Travis Tygart, the man who
spearheaded the investigation that uncovered a complex doping scheme on
Armstrong's U.S. Postal Service teams.

Armstrong's seven Tour de France victories were taken away last year and he was banned for life from the sport.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey
last week, Armstrong admitted doping, said he owed a long list of
apologies and that he would like to see his lifetime ban reduced so he
can compete again.

His most realistic avenue toward that
might be telling USADA everything he knows in a series of interviews
the agency wants started no later than Feb. 6.

That seems unlikely.

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Armstrong attorney Tim Herman
responded to USADA's first letter, sent Wednesday, by saying his
client's schedule is already full, and besides, 'in order to achieve the
goal of `cleaning up cycling,' it must be WADA and the (International
Cycling Union) who have overall authority to do so.'

By Friday night, Herman strongly
suggested Armstrong won't meet with USADA at all but intends to appear
before the UCI's planned "truth and reconciliation" commission.

'Why would we cooperate (with
USADA)?' Herman said in a telephone interview. 'USADA isn't interested
in cleaning up cycling. Lance has said, `I'll be the first guy in the
chair when cycling is on trial, truthfully, under oath, in every gory
detail.' I think he's going testify where it could actually do some
good: With the body that's charged with cleaning up cycling,' Herman
said.

In its last letter to Armstrong, sent
Friday evening, USADA attorney William Bock said his agency and WADA
work hand-in-hand in that effort.

'Regardless, and with or without Mr.
Armstrong's help, we will move forward with our investigation for the
good of clean athletes and the future of sport,' Bock's letter reads.

Confession: Armstrong admitted to Oprah Winfrey that his seven Tour de France titles were won with the help of performance-enhancing drugs, but he denied that he used them for his 2009 comeback

The letters confirm a Dec. 14 meeting
in Denver involving Armstrong, Tygart and their respective attorneys,
which is when, in Tygart's words, Armstrong should have started thinking
about a possible meeting with USADA.

'He has been given a deadline of
February 6th to determine whether he plans to come in and be part of the
solution,' Tygart said in a statement. 'Either way, USADA is moving
forward with our investigation on behalf of clean athletes.'

The letters were sent to the AP after details about a Tygart interview with '60 Minutes,' being aired Sunday, were made public.

Among Tygart's claims: Armstrong is lying when he says he didn't dope during his 2009-10 comeback.

Shamed: Armstrong told Oprah that he never tried to stop or change the culture of drug use in the sport

Tygart said USADA's report on Armstrong's doping included evidence Armstrong was still cheating in those years.